The general concept of fountains and fountain displays is well established in the art. Fountains have exsisted from earliest recorded history and have been the subject of substantial creativity and artistic expression. Thus, early fountains were often intricately sculptured and replete with various sculpted figures and sculpted objects. Earliest fountains were typically gravity powered in that water from a higher location was allowed to flow downwardly across the fountain structure in what is generally describable as a cascade. With the advent of pumping devices, some of which were human or animal powered while others were driven by wind power apparatus, fountains and fountain displays obtain the added feature of water sprays or streams of upwardly or angularly directed water under pressure. Practitioners in the art placed considerable emphasis upon creativity in providing aesthetically pleasing flow patterns of sprays and water streams.
As electrical pumps and electrical control systems became generally available, practitioners in the art provided ever more complex displays and fountain systems. Often such fountain systems employed moving nozzles to direct spray through various movement or “dancing” pattern activities. In addition, the use of electrical pumps and pump control systems provided for the additional aesthetic elements for fountain systems such as variations of fountain pressure to alter the fountain spray or water stream heights. Further development of electrical pumping systems provided for displays having multiple changing spray patterns together with multiple cascades.
The continued development of electrical pumping systems also brought added capability to fountains. Basically, fountains were now able to incorporate different types of cleaning and filtering apparatus as a quantity of water is circulated in a closed circulation system through the fountain. The implementation of electronic controllers to further control electrical pumping systems within fountains added further flexibility and capability. Additional elements such as light and sound features provided still further creativity for fountains and fountain displays.
As a result of substantial development in the art, modern fountains have become available in sizes ranging from simple small fountains suitable for a residence or small housing complex to large and complex fountains and fountain displays suitable for public parties or entertainment facilities.
Despite the substantial effort and improvement by practitioners in the art in creating ever more improved fountains and fountain systems, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for ever more improved efficient and entertaining fountains and fountain display systems.